Women's Basketball | 12/12/2024 5:12:00 PM

NORFOLK, Va. --- The Norfolk State women's basketball team used a big day from graduate guard Diamond Johnson and senior forward Kierra Wheeler to take down Shaw 90-57 at Echols Hall on Thursday morning.
 
Wheeler tied her career-high in rebounds with 17 while scoring 22 points. She also added five blocks, four steals, and three assists in the win.
 
Johnson posed her first double-double of the season with 22 points and 10 assists. She also brought in six rebounds and three steals.
 
Sophomore guard Anjanae Richardson also scored in double-figures for the Spartans with 13 points.
 
NSU opened the contest on a 9-2 run, capped off by a Da'Brya Clark layup. Shaw battled back, trimming the lead down to four points with a 3-pointer from Elisha Quinn. Richardson gave Norfolk State its largest advantage of the first quarter with a swift move to the bucket. The Bears ended the quarter on a 4-0 run, giving the Spartans the 20-16 edge after one quarter.
 
Back-to-back baskets early in the second quarter from Ciara Bailey put the Spartans back up by 10 points. The Bears used six straight points from Zaniyyah Ross-Barnes, causing Norfolk State to take a timeout while still leading 26-22.
 
Shaw tied up the contest following the timeout with back-to-back baskets. NSU then built a lead with a 7-0 run, gaining the momentum back on a Johnson 3-pointer. A dish from Johnson to Wheeler for a layup capped off the first half with the Spartans taking a 38-28 advantage into the locker room.
 
Norfolk State scored the first four points of the second half with buckets from Wheeler and Richardson, extending its lead to 14. NSU didn't let up throughout the half, gaining its first 20-point advantage of the contest on a layup from Richardson. NSU led by as many as 27 points in the third quarter, following a 3-pointer from Johnson.
 
Shaw opened the fourth quarter trying to gain momentum with back-to-back baskets from D'ayzha Akinson. Sophomore guard Jenesis Hill scored six straight points for the Spartans, halting the Bears' momentum. NSU built its largest advantage in the game's closing seconds to 35 points, behind a layup from Da'naijah Willaims, capping off a 52-point half from the Spartans.
 
Checking the Box Score

• Kierra Wheeler posted her fifth double-double of the season with 22 points and 17 rebounds
• Diamond Johnson recorded her fourth career double-double with 22 points and 10 assists
• Anjanae Richardson posted double-figure scoring numbers with 13 points
• NSU outscored SU in the paint 54-26
• Norfolk State forced 26 turnovers in the win
• Norfolk State shot 57.8 percent in the second half (22-of-38)
• The Spartans only trailed for 12 seconds of the game (9:17-9:05 1st quarter)

 
 
News & Notes

• Norfolk State improves to 9-3 with the win
• Shaw falls to 3-6 with the loss
• Norfolk State extends its advantage in the all-time series to 20-4
• Kierra Wheeler tied her career high in rebounds with 17 boards
• Diamond Johnson's 10 assists are the most by a Spartan since Nov. 11, 2019 (Chanette Hicks vs. Virginia Lynchburg, 14)

 
Up Next
The Spartans head back on the road this weekend, traveling to Greensboro, N.C. to take on North Carolina A&T on Sunday, Dec. 15 at 2 p.m.
 
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